In The Trashcan
Records GEM022
"From the Valley of the Kings to Peru there are girls with
pretty voices..."
Debut 45 from this French singer who also launched her own record label, AAAA. This 1982 self-released 45 contains the terrific "Pretty day", a minimalistic synthpop tune that gained a cult status.
Three girls and two guys are Delta 5, that was around for three, four years. In 1979 they released their very first single on Rough Trade, which became an indie club hit in Europe.
Lori Lartey founded this group in the late 70s and gave us this great second 45. I chose "Peru", the B-side of "The lonely spy", on Korova Records.
Give a group of young girls a fuzzbox and they're gonna use it. It's fabricated pulp punk pop and it's addictive. But they should have stopped after two singles. "X X Sex" was their trademark song from their second EP; "Justine" is from their first EP, both on Vindaloo Records in 1986.
A lesser known outfit emerging from the New York no wave scene of the early 80s. Best known member is Ann Magnuson (check out her 1995 album "The luv show" on Geffen) because of Bongwater. This is the B-side of "The devil lives in my husband's body", a 1982 release on Y Records.
"Ain't you" was first released on the Sunrise label as an EP and rereleased as a two-track single by Rough Trade in 1978. Sadly, this Swiss new wave group stopped after their second single. "Ain't you" reappeared on many compilations, so I picked the B-side "Hedi's head".
The opera punk diva from Berlin wrote this song in 1982 for her then 1-year old daughter: Cosma Shiva, who was born in L.A. and became a German actress.
It's fourteen years later and Siouxsie became the goddess of Goth. In 1991 "I could be again" was one of the four tracks on the "Fear of the unknown" EP and one year later the B-side of "Face to face", from the movie "Batman returns".
When Donna Boyle met Penny Rimbaud and Joy De Vivre from Crass, she became Honey Bane. A year later in 1980 she had Honey Bane Records, that released this 45. I picked the B-side.
Judy Nylon and Patti Palladin are Snatch, an art-rock group from New York, active in the late 70s and early 80s. In 1977 they recorded "All I want" and "When I'm bored" in London and returned to NY to have them released on Lightning Records a year later.
"Hong Kong garden" is the very first single of perhaps the most successful UK indie band from the first punk days. In 1978 Polydor gave them a chance to conquer England and the rest is history. "Voices" is the flipside.
It's difficult to say this was a group; I'd rather call it a project of 4AD label boss, Ivo Watts-Russell. "Sixteen days" is the much better side of this 1983 release, sung and played by people from Cocteau Twins and Modern English.
This Leeds goth group with the lovely Joanna Moy as singer were good friends of Sisters Of Mercy and also started with a drum computer and had their first releases on the record label of the Sisters, Merciful Release. "Walk into the sun" was released on Rebirth in 1984, their own label.
Françoise Van Hove was the singer of Les Lolitas in the 80s. As Françoise Cactus she met Friedrich Ziegler aka Brezel Goering in Berlin and formed Stereo Total in 1993. Five years later and half a dozen 45s further they recorded "Holiday Inn" in 8 different versions and mixes. I prefer the regular version they put on the 1997 release of "Supergirl", also on Bungalow Records.
Martyn Ware of B.E.F. and Heaven 17 loved this Belgian band so much he agreed to produce this 45, one of the few highlights of Belpop in the early 80s. The sphinx, the pyramids and the temples in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt must have had a big influence on these guys, helped by Lavvi Ebbel's brass section. Released on Virgin in 1982.
After Bryan Gregory's leaving The Cramps he changed into a devil worshipping goth lover and became a member of girl fronted Beast; Andrella also wrote the song. In 1983 this 45 was issued by I.D Records. I must admit I bought this in the 80s because it was Bryan Gregory. Looking back I must agree it's better than I could remember.
